Did Sergio Perez even watch these scenes properly? Maybe with a very long blink so that he had to see as little of it as possible and the pain was more bearable. With a black, gold-embroidered sombrero on his head, it wasn’t him sitting on the parked Red Bull, but Max Verstappen. The car and driver were lifted onto a platform towards the sky to the winner’s podium to great applause – while Perez remained grounded in what must have felt like hell for him.
The 33-year-old had so many plans for the Mexican Grand Prix, his home race, and the fans are celebrating him like a hero. But his superpowers left him this Sunday after just a few meters at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The next debacle in this so damned Formula 1 season for him. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) crossed the finish line behind Verstappen, but he came away empty-handed. “I’ve had some really sad moments in my career. This is definitely the saddest,” said Perez. His great bewilderment and anger were also clearly visible in his eyes when he found himself prematurely in the garage. He looked very close to tears.
In contrast to this was the performance of his teammate, who, after 71 laps, several safety car phases and one interruption, shone with a lead of almost 14 seconds over Hamilton. Verstappen has now become the first in the premier class to collect 16 wins in one season. And because it was also the 51st of his career, he is now on the same level as four-time world champion Alain Prost in the all-time best list. Only a few have seen the checkered flag first: Sebastian Vettel (53), Michael Schumacher (91) and Lewis Hamilton (103). “It’s been another incredible season. I mean, the car was incredible to drive in most places,” said Verstappen. What he followed up with was certainly not meant as a dig at the ailing Perez, but could be understood as follows: “If you work really well together as a team and try not to make too many mistakes throughout the season, you can do something like that to reach.”
What was Perez’s undoing this time? In the fight for the best positions, he turned inwards too early and too hard on the outside lane. He hit Leclerc’s Ferrari and took off. At first it even seemed as if the car could roll over. At least Perez was spared that, but the damage was still too great. “I had a huge start, the gap was there. I saw an opportunity and I took it,” explained Perez, who started from fifth place. “I took a risk and paid dearly for it. But if I had done it, I would have been in the lead coming out of turn one.”
Red Bull wants a double triumph – is Perez capable of it?
The unfortunate thing for Perez is that he tried to take advantage of opportunities too often this season and ultimately missed them. He won in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan, but that was a long time ago. He hasn’t been on the podium since Monza at the beginning of September, despite driving the most powerful car this season. Verstappen proves what is possible with this. The fact that Red Bull’s motorsport consultant Helmut Marko saw a promising maneuver by Perez and spoke of an accident that could happen is hardly consoling. Nor was it that team boss Christian Horner demonstratively patted him encouragingly at the command post while a camera was watching and said good things to him.
First concentrated, then dismayed: Sergio Perez once again experienced a frustrating race weekend in Mexico.
(Photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
The memories of the start of the season almost seem like they come from a long time ago. When the competition between the two Red Bull matadors still seemed as if Formula 1 was in for a close duel with highly explosive potential. What has proven to be true is the superiority of the RB 19. But since an upgrade about a third of the season, Perez has had a harder time with the car and the balance of power has shifted. Although Perez initially signaled with his appearance that he no longer wanted to subordinate himself and wanted to win the title, he minimized his chances with one mistake after another.
And the gulf in this partnership became all the more apparent the more impeccably Verstappen drove. In an interview with the trade magazine Cars, motors and sports said Perez about the pressure of this constellation: “It’s hard. But if you want to drive for Red Bull, you have to live with it and be mentally very strong to survive it.” The question of whether he will succeed in this in the eyes of his superiors is becoming more and more pressing. Horner had recently asked the Mexican to clear his head – now the crash in Mexico followed, which cost Red Bull a valuable 19 points. Perez now has 240 points, his pursuer Hamilton on 220.
The declared goal is Verstappen’s third world championship title in a row But double triumph, it would be the first for the British-Austrian team – and Perez should not jeopardize it in the remaining three Grand Prix in São Paulo, Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi. The pressure is high, even if Marko stated again: “He has his contract for 2024 and that will happen.” And Horner reiterated: “It’s not that simple. You have to look at the circumstances and so on.”
In the end, filling the cockpit is probably also a question of alternatives. Verstappen’s former teammate Daniel Ricciardo, of all people, moved directly in front of Perez on the starting row: The Australian started the race in the AlphaTauri in fourth place and finished it in seventh place – the best result of the season. This means that Red Bull’s sister team leaves the bottom of the constructors’ championship and is now eighth, level on points with Alfa Romeo.
A jump like this is worth millions and attracts attention. “Incredible,” praised Marko on Sky. “He got everything out of it. A great comeback after the hand injury, and a good recommendation for the future.” Horner thought: “He completely underlined why we brought him back. He looked like the old Daniel again.”
This provides material for interpretation after the Bull bosses were recently noticed with their silence in this case. They are probably happy that the potential for escalation between Verstappen and Perez has evaporated. But in order to keep the competition away, both cars should be reliably successful. And Sergio Perez has once again weakened his position and with it that of the demanding team.